[RCrosby257]

My single level condo type unit has 6 hard wired smoke detectors which are due for replacement. Heading into 15th year.
Would love to find a heat/smoke/CO2 unit that would plug into the existing base plate (Kidde) but can't find any such.
Looking easier to just replace with battery operated units, but are there advantages to the hard wiring?
Thinking as I type here. Guess I'll consult local codes (Florida) before I go any further.
Any comments or advice still appreciated.
Thanks,
Rob

 

[joed]

I don't think you are allowed to replace wired smokes with battery units.

 

[Colbyt]

Hard wired, battery backup is local code. I doubt yours is more permissive.

Switching out the connectors and plates is no big deal but a homeowner doing it in a commercial building is not legal in Florida.

 

[Jim Port]

If hardwired exist the replacement should be hardwired and battery.

The battery ones are not interconnected . Do not lessen the protection.

 

[ddawg16]

If there is ever a reason for hardwired....it's so you don't have to replace batteries every year.

And for houses with only 2 wires...they make wired wireless interconnect models.

 

[Jim Port]

Battery backup is required even for the hardwired alarms.

 

[Arrow3030]

Curious why you want heat, photo and CO. Usually heat is for kitchens and photo is for everywhere else. I'm not sure what the advantage of heat and photo would be.

 

[Bob Sanders]

Battery backup is required even for the hardwired alarms.

True... and I didn't bother with battery back up this time around. I didn't see the sense. The non battery back up ones (or at least the ones I have) chirp every 30 seconds for up to 5 minutes when power is lost. Very much enough to wake you up if you happen to have one in your bedroom (which we do).

 

[Jim Port]

True... and I didn't bother with battery back up this time around. I didn't see the sense. The non battery back up ones (or at least the ones I have) chirp every 30 seconds for up to 5 minutes when power is lost. Very much enough to wake you up if you happen to have one in your bedroom (which we do).

Chirping for 5 minutes does little to protect your loved ones during an extended outage.
Some states are now requiring smoke with a 10 year non-replaceable battery.

 

[Jnaas2]

Ive got customers complaining already that the batterys don't last ten years

 

[Bob Sanders]

Chirping for 5 minutes does little to protect your loved ones during an extended outage.
Some states are now requiring smoke with a 10 year non-replaceable battery.

There is risk in the world simply by crossing the street. You can't protect against everything so it ALL becomes a matter of betting against the odds.

You don't need battery back up during the day because you are awake and alert..... especially during a power outage. So the only real time battery back up is important is when you sleep... probably between the hours of midnight and 6 or 7am. Now I don't know about your area but in mine the number of times the power has died between that time in the last ten years can be counted on one hand. I have lived in the house for almost 25 years and have NEVER had a fire (doesn't mean it won't happen but it is an indication of frequency)

When you put all those statistics together it suggests that you probably have a better chance of getting hit by lightening then you have in actually NEEDING battery back up. How many people do you see running around with lightening rods on their heads?

Not withstanding, my house is probably about 1500 sq ft and I have 11 smokes (there is one in every isolated part of the house) and they are all interconnected so the chirping they make is pretty loud and frankly impossible to sleep through. Then of course there is the alarm system chirping in trouble mode.... yadda yadda. When the power goes out around here.... believe me, we all know it.

 

[Bob Sanders]

Ive got customers complaining already that the batterys don't last ten years

Code is code and I don't suggest people do what I do, but yes... batteries are a pain which is why I elected NOT to include them in my system update.

 

[jreagan]

My house has 13 interconnected smokes. 12 are hard-wired/battery. The one on the 20ft ceiling in my great room is now hardwired only. I grew tired of being in the Cirque-du-Soleil when I needed to change the battery.

 

[Know A Little]

Go the easy route put in a complete system, covers smoke, carbon, gas (if needed) heat were needed and burglar alarm with a single battery at the control cabinet. I replace the battery every three year in about 2 minutes with no ladder.

 

[Bob Sanders]

Go the easy route put in a complete system, covers smoke, carbon, gas (if needed) heat were needed and burglar alarm with a single battery at the control cabinet. I replace the battery every three year in about 2 minutes with no ladder.

I looked at that because I do have an alarm but they wanted 60 bucks for each smoke. That's too much. Mine are now simply standard hardwire with a relay adapter connected to the alarm panel. The alarm goes off in the case of a fire but they are still not battery backed.

 

[user_12345a]

Code is code and I don't suggest people do what I do, but yes... batteries are a pain which is why I elected NOT to include them in my system update.

The backups last a long time to my knowledge in the hard-wired ones.

 

[Bob Sanders]

The backups last a long time to my knowledge in the hard-wired ones.

Again,
(IMO) not worth the effort or the expense based on the ridiculously small chance they'll actually be needed.

 

[user_12345a]

I looked at that because I do have an alarm but they wanted 60 bucks for each smoke. That's too much. Mine are now simply standard hardwire with a relay adapter connected to the alarm panel. The alarm goes off in the case of a fire but they are still not battery backed.

Is your system monitored? Do you run the risk of a false call to the fire department when an alarm trips from cooking or dust?

 

[Bob Sanders]

Is your system monitored? Do you run the risk of a false call to the fire department when an alarm trips from cooking or dust?

Self monitored. I'm not a big believer in paying for monitoring when everybody and their grandmother carries a cell phone these days.

 

[gregzoll]

Hard wired, battery backup is local code. I doubt yours is more permissive.

Switching out the connectors and plates is no big deal but a homeowner doing it in a commercial building is not legal in Florida.

A Condo is a residence and it is the owner's responsibility to maintain. Remember that not all condo's are highrises or a couple story building. They can also be set up like a Duplex or Quadplex.

Only if the HOA/Board has a section in the contract that a electrician or appointed alarm company, is required to replace the units.